Like many companies, ion has a set of core values that provide a rudder for every ionian—who we are, what we aspire to be, and how to hold each other accountable. While these values were always ‘unspoken and unwritten,’ last year we took the step of formalizing them.

Writing our core values came fairly effortlessly. When we asked ourselves “What are the characteristics we want our team and our company to aspire to?" the answers flowed—it was simply a matter of writing down what we were already embodying (or striving to embody) each day.

Now seemed like a good time to share our values here, as it helps to understand who we are as a company, including a few inspiring quotes. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and feedback below!

As ionians we...

1. Are agile

"Today, companies have to radically revolutionize themselves every few years just to stay relevant. That's because technology and the Internet have transformed the business landscape forever. The fast-paced digital age has accelerated the need for companies to become agile." - Nolan Bushnell

2. Exude quality in everything we do

"The concept of quality is difficult to define, for it is not merely seen, but somehow intuited in the presence of the work in which it is embodied. Quality has little to do with popular notions of beauty, taste, or style; and nothing to do with status, respectability, or luxury. It is revealed, rather, in an atmosphere of receptivity, propriety, and restraint.

Quality is concerned with truth, not deception; with ideas, not techniques; with the enduring, not the ephemeral; with precision, not fussiness; with simplicity, not vacuity; with subtlety, not blatancy; with sensitivity, not sentimentality.” - American designer, Paul Rand

3. Behave respectfully, honestly, and humbly

"You can design, and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney

4. Build transparent, open, collaborative relationships

"A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity." - Dalai Lama

5. Embrace bold creativity

"Creativity is intelligence having fun." - Albert Einstein

“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” - Leo Burnett

6. Innovate relentlessly

"If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney

"You have to have a big vision and take very small steps to get there. You have to be humble as you execute but visionary and gigantic in terms of your aspiration. In the Internet industry, it's not about grand innovation, it's about a lot of little innovations: every day, every week, every month, making something a little bit better." - Jason Calacanis

7. Think scientifically

"There's a certain kind of research you have to listen to - the factual stuff, not opinion. Facts are facts. Sugar is sweet - it's not a matter of opinion. It just is.” - American designer, Paul Rand

"For a long time I think there has been this unfortunate sense that you’ve got the science geeks over here and you’ve got the cool art kids over here and that sort of extends further on into life where there’s a sense that these two worlds are somehow separate. And the fact of the matter is we’re all in it for the same reason. We’re all just trying to figure out the deep truths of reality.” -Theoretical physicist, Brian Greene

8. Sweat the details

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." - John Wooden

"This is what customers pay us for—to sweat all these details so it's easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We're supposed to be really good at this." - Steve Jobs

9. Exercise our expertise and skill

"Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience." - Denis Waitley

10. Are blazing new trails, and that means there is no play book—we're always ready to tackle an unexpected obstacle in our way

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have." - Norman Vincent Peale

And that’s it—this really sums up who we are, how we do it and what we strive for. I hope you love our values as much as we do, and I hope it’s helped turn a spotlight on an important part of ion interactive. Thanks for reading!